Linda Marie Merritt was 26 and a mother of two when she disappeared from Springfield, Massachusetts, in the late hours of August 16, 1997. A witness last saw her at about midnight getting into a vehicle in front of her home; she was wearing a black spandex outfit and black clogs and had a noticeable overbite. The car has not been described in detail, and it is not publicly known whether she entered willingly or was forced into the vehicle.

Few leads developed in the years after her disappearance. Tips suggested she may at some point have been in Chelsea or Lynn, Massachusetts, but none of those leads produced definitive answers. The Springfield Police Department initially handled the investigation and the Massachusetts State Police later became involved. DNA from her daughter, mother, and niece has been entered into national databases.

Who knew Linda or might have information about where she went after leaving her home that night?